Bravo to @mohammedsalem85 for winning @worldpressphoto of the year award for this image of a woman in Gaza embracing the body of her five-year-old niece, killed in an Israeli air strike. Heartbreaking. My weekend column is a long look at the Gaza war and the way it has become an albatross around President Biden’s neck. It has become his war, a blot on his legacy, a challenge for his campaign. I argue that Biden repeatedly missed opportunities to improve the situation in Gaza and now finds himself in a strategic cul de sac. Hope you’ll read it.
From my weekend column about President Biden losing his way, as I see it, in Gaza.
This fellow here is a special one: a 40-year veteran of 160 countries around our globe, witnessing and then sharing with us stories of massacres, famines, brothels packed with stolen girls and women, and equally, simple and scalable grassroots efforts that can lift entire communities out of poverty, and the at times shocking heroes who make such transformation possible in the most impossible circumstances. @nickkristof has a new book: “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life.” It is part adventure story. (Being chased by warlords! Tense border crossings! That damaged plane crashing Congo!) A love story (he shares one of his two Pulitzer Prizes with his equally gifted wife, Sheryl WuDunn), and much more. It is—however implausible it may seem on the surface—about hope. “I am a scarred optimist,” Nick writes. First writing about millions of children in India dying from diarrheal disease, this essay caught the eye of two readers in Seattle; in response, they founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Nick has transformed the opinion-editorial essay from a historical recording of government, policy, and politicians into urgent, vibrant, and data-informed stories of the folks at the farthest reaches on earth whose lives are shaped by those powerful people. I am so grateful to call Sheryl and Nick friends, to Nick for writing the forward to my first book, for being included in their extraordinary documentary, “A Path Appears,” about human trafficking in Nashville, TN, and to be fellow wilderness hikers! To you, Nick!
In 2015 I interviewed this farmer, Abdul-Majeed Hassan, on the West Bank—and he was so tormented by Israeli settlers that I didn’t see how it could get worse. I revisited him last week—that photo is from our recent interview—and the situation has gotten worse, much worse. Settlers have cut down his olive trees, burned his cars, broken his tractor, set fire to his sheep shed and tried to invade his home. His wife argues for moving out, to avoid being burned alive. That’s life in the West Bank today, and I have a new column out today outlining how desperate conditions are, and how little the U.S. is doing to address it. Check it out.
History. For the first time, a president becomes a felon.
Happy 92nd birthday to my mom, Jane Kristof! Here she is with me this morning on our farm, the cider apple orchard behind us, and Connie beside us. May we all do so well at 92!!
My weekend column was about deepfakes that target famous women and ordinary teenage girls alike. Companies make money by concocting degrading sex videos of them, often with sadistic elements—and then Google drives traffic to them. It’s hard for me to see why Google wants to support this non-consensual world of misogyny and exploitation.
With the Nassar family on their farm on the West Bank. The Nassars are Christian Palestinians who quote Martin Luther King and promote nonviolence—even as violent settlers attack them and try to steal their land. My column today is about them and others preaching nonviolence. Their farm, Tent of Nations, happily accepts volunteers from America and Europe, for the volunteers provide sone protection: Settlers are more restrained in front of foreign witnesses. If you’re interested in volunteering, check out the Tent of Nations website.
On Father’s Day, thinking of my own dad and his incredible journey. He was an Armenian who grew up in Eastern Europe, spied on the Nazis, lost family members to both the Nazis and the Soviets, was in a concentration camp and asbestos mine, escaped to the West, arrived penniless in America in 1952 and fell in love with Oregon. His life was saved by others, and he paid it forward and taught me to as well. Here we’re loading hay on our farm when I was about 13. An amazing man.
Finished books! Publication day is still 10 days away, but I received my first copy of my new memoir, “Chasing Hope”! And it’s available now for preorder so it can arrive at your house on publication day. Always something thrilling about seeing the first copy of a new book one has spent years working on. Thanks, @aaknopf @penguinrandomhouse
Just a proud husband here! Sheryl honored at an AAPI gala this week.
Independent book stores rock! Signing copies of my new memoir, “Chasing Hope,” at @thirdstreetbooks in McMinnville, OR, before its release Tuesday. Bookstores and libraries are pillars of civilization. I can’t exactly complain if you buy Chasing Hope from Amazon, but a purchase from an indie book store fills me with, er, hope.
Book tour gave me the chance to meet up in Seattle with two of my very fave novelists, @bonnie_garmus_author (“Lessons in Chemistry”) and @kristinhannahauthor (“The Women,” “The Nightingale”). I’m hoping some of their literary talent will rub off on me, and in the meantime, check out their work — and be dazzled!
I’m thrilled to announce that the book launch event for my memoir, “Chasing Hope,”will be May 15 in New York, as a conversation with Tara Westover, author of the brilliant memoir “Educated.” The event will be virtual as well as in-person, and a ticket also gets you a book (in the mail if you’re virtual). So join us at the @streickercenter, whose website has tickets! @aaknopf @penguinrandomhouse
Wonderful gathering with kids and friends at the @osfashland Shakespeare Festival. Standout plays this year were a brilliant musical version of Much Ado About Nothing and a three-person musical called Lizard Boy. The three actors are in this group shot, with Sheryl @wudunn between them; bravo to @justinhuertas, who wrote the play and stars in it. And fellow Oregon journalist @anncurry is beside me, with two of the next generation of Kristofs beside her. In the other photo, Sheryl and I are by the set of Much Ado. Brilliant productions, both.
Wonderful gathering with kids and friends at the @osfashland Shakespeare Festival. Standout plays this year were a brilliant musical version of Much Ado About Nothing and a three-person musical called Lizard Boy. The three actors are in this group shot, with Sheryl @wudunn between them; bravo to @justinhuertas, who wrote the play and stars in it. And fellow Oregon journalist @anncurry is beside me, with two of the next generation of Kristofs beside her. In the other photo, Sheryl and I are by the set of Much Ado. Brilliant productions, both.
Thanks, @Harvard Magazine, for this shout-out to my new memoir! The book includes memories of an Oregon farm boy arriving on campus as a freshman and finding himself thoroughly outclassed.
Kristof wine has LAUNCHED! ✨🍷 Thanks to everyone who joined us this weekend as we celebrated — definitely one for the books ❤️ Video credit @deee_chang
My book tour schedule! I’ll be traveling across the country sharing my new memoir, “Chasing Hope”—so if I visit your city, please come by and say hi! And we’ll talk books or whatever is on your mind. @aaknopf @penguinrandomhouse .
My book tour schedule! I’ll be traveling across the country sharing my new memoir, “Chasing Hope”—so if I visit your city, please come by and say hi! And we’ll talk books or whatever is on your mind. @aaknopf @penguinrandomhouse .
While I was reporting in the Middle East. Sheryl and Jamie were at the @nwcider annual awards, picking up prizes for our whisper and orchard ciders and for the cidery overall. Congrats to all the winners!
🎙️ New podcast episode with @nickkristof. Here is a little sneak peek from the episode: New York Times columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and bestselling author Nicholas D. Kristof joins Zibby to discuss his intimate and gripping new memoir, CHASING HOPE: A Reporter’s Life. Nick reveals how a brief stint in politics (running for governor of Oregon… and losing) unexpectedly gave him the gift of time, prompting this memoir. He shares anecdotes from his career in journalism, from editing the high school newspaper to reporting from conflict zones like Darfur. He discusses the challenges and rewards of the job, emphasizing the importance of fact-checking, humility, and compassion. Listen (wherever you get your podcasts) now! 🎧 . . . #momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks #literarypodcast #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #literaryescape #bookstagram #bookishcommunity
IN ONE WEEK | Upon the release of his memoir, “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life,” two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Nicholas Kristof (@nickkristof) will be joining us at the Streicker Cultural Center on Wednesday, May 15th at 6:30pm. He’ll be joined in conversation with memoirist and historian Tara Westover (@itsmetarajane) to discuss his 40-year career at the @nytimes, covering the 1989 protests at Tiananmen Square, being detained in Iran for asking young people there whether they supported the Islamic revolution, risking death as he wandered through Darfur and using his pen to force attention to the drug crisis in his home state of Oregon. In the process, he’s become known as the Indiana Jones of journalism. Tickets start at $25 (available for both in-person and virtual) and includes a copy of his new book 📗 Please note that this is a one-time-only live program. No recording will be available if missed 🎥 Click the link in our bio to register today 📲 #streickercenter #nicholaskristof #tarawestover #author #nytbestseller #nycbookevents #nytimes #theageofgreivance #journalism #nycevents
Mothers’ Day Movement took to the streets of New York City last week on a sunny afternoon. We asked people a simple question: “How much money do you think is spent annually on Mother’s Day gifts?” New Yorkers were shocked to learn that a staggering $35 billion was spent last year. One mother summed it up best saying, “I have to tell you, I find that horrifying.” A big thank you to all the kind neighbors who stopped to chat with us, especially our friends @222west80 @caninestylesnyc @bestbottlesnyc & @bluestonelane Also a warm thanks to Nicholas Kristof @nickkristof who inspired Mothers’ Day Movement and continues to champion our mission. Join Mothers’ Day Movement. Help make this Mother’s Day a day to honor ALL mothers. Follow Mothers’ Day Movement at @mothersdaymovementmdm & consider shifting a portion of your Mother’s Day gift-giving to our campaign. Your mother or special woman in your life will receive an e-card notifying them of your donation. ❤️ & Tag someone that needs to know about us. ————————— About: Mothers’ Day Movement Mothers’ Day Movement (MDM) was founded by a small group of women who believe in making a difference for women around the globe. We unite donors to shift the priority in spending on Mother’s Day to bring life-changing funds to women and their families in need. Since 2011 we have raised almost $1 million. Each year, we research small to mid-sized 501(c) (3) charities in the fields of education, health care, hunger, trafficking, clean water, and other areas helping women and their families throughout the world. The candidates are chosen based on a set of criteria including their reach and success in effecting positive change for women. We ultimately select one organization to support with the Mothers’ Day Movement campaign. One hundred percent of your donation goes to the designated charity. #nystreets #nycexplorers #newyorkstreet #newyorkers #nyers #newyorkstreets
